Microsoft Edge is a web browser that comes with a full-screen mode that allows you to see the entire page at once. If you’re not used to using a web browser with full-screen mode, it can be difficult to figure out how to enable and disable it. Here’s how:
- Open Microsoft Edge and sign in to your account.
- In the top left corner of the main window, click on the three lines that look like a triangle. This will open a menu that looks like this:
- On the left side of this menu, click on “Settings.”
- In the “Settings” window, click on “Full Screen Mode.”
- Under “Full Screen Mode,” you’ll find two options: “On” and “Off.” If you’re using Windows 10 or 8.1, you’ll probably want to choose “On.” If you’re using Windows 7 or 8, you’ll probably want to choose “Off.”
These instructions apply to both Microsoft’s new open-source Chromium-based Edge browser and the original version of Microsoft Edge that came with Windows 10.
Press F11 to Toggle Full-Screen Mode
With Microsoft Edge open, you can press the F11 key on your keyboard to enter full-screen mode at any time. Press F11 again to exit full-screen mode. F11 toggles full-screen mode on and off.
This keyboard shortcut works in all popular web browsers, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. If you ever need to enter or exit full-screen mode while browsing the web in basically any web browser, just press F11.
Use the Zoom Menu
You can also activate full-screen mode using your mouse. To do so, click the menu button at the top-right corner of the Edge browser window—it looks like three dots in a horizontal row.
To the right of the Zoom option in the menu, click the “Full Screen” button to activate a full-screen browsing experience. It looks like a diagonal arrow.
In full-screen mode, move the mouse to the top of your screen and click the “X” button to exit full-screen mode. (The button only appears when you move your mouse to the top of the screen.)
You can also press F11 on your keyboard to exit Microsoft Edge’s full-screen mode.
If you’re using the classic version of Edge that came with Windows 10, you must instead move your mouse to the top of the screen to reveal the hidden toolbar.
On the toolbar, click the “Unmaximize” button between the minimize and close buttons at the top-right corner of the screen to deactivate full-screen mode. You can also click the menu (three dots) button and click the “Full Screen” button again to turn off full-screen mode.
The F11 key will toggle full-screen mode on and off in the classic version of Edge, too.
The Win+Shift+Enter Trick (Old Microsoft Edge Only)
If you’re using the original version of Edge, you can also press Win+Shift+Enter to enter and exit full-screen mode. However, the F11 key does the same thing in both versions of Edge, so you might as well press F11 instead. It’s a single keypress.
The Win+Shift+Enter shortcut actually works for all Universal Windows Platform apps on Windows 10, including other apps like the Mail app. It doesn’t work in classic desktop applications like the new Microsoft Edge
Maximize vs. Full-screen Mode
Using full-screen mode in Microsoft Edge is different from simply maximizing the browser window. When you maximize Edge by clicking the normal “Maximize” button to the left of the “x” button at the top-right corner of the window, Edge will take up your entire screen—but you’ll still see your Windows desktop taskbar, the tab bar, the address bar, the favorites bar (if it’s enabled), and other interface elements.
Full-screen mode is different. In full-screen mode, you won’t see the tab bar and other interface elements. You’ll just see the current web page—and the scroll bar. Edge’s full-screen mode is particularly great for giving presentations and watching videos.
Watching Web Videos in Full-Screen Mode
Enabling full-screen mode with F11 or from the Zoom menu won’t always give you a full-screen video player. On websites like YouTube, you’ll need to click the full-screen button in the video player to make a video take up the full screen. If you just press F11 while watching YouTube, the YouTube web page will take up your entire screen, but the video will stay the same size.
If you’ve enabled full-screen mode for watching a video, you can press the Esc key on your keyboard to escape full-screen mode. You can also press F11 or click the “Full Screen” button in the video player once again to toggle it off.
By the way, you can press the “f” key on your keyboard to turn YouTube’s full-screen mode on and off while watching a video. That’s one of many keyboard shortcuts for YouTube, and it works in all web browsers.
RELATED: 47 Keyboard Shortcuts That Work in All Web Browsers
Microsoft’s new open-source Edge browser offers a world-class browsing experience, one that Chrome users will feel at home with. It’s a lot better than Internet Explorer on older versions of Windows. The Microsoft Edge full-screen experience is just like Google Chrome’s full-screen mode. Chrome users can activate and deactivate full-screen mode in the same way.
Edge isn’t all the same as Chrome, however—unlike Chrome, the new Edge comes with a built-in tracking prevention feature. Other features are similar across both browsers—Edge’s InPrivate mode is basically the same as Chrome’s Incognito Mode.
You can download the new Edge browser from Microsoft, and Microsoft plans to roll it out to all Windows 10 PC users via Windows Update at some point.
RELATED: What You Need to Know About the New Microsoft Edge Browser
